Tag: hiring

My daughter, Erin, is about to graduate with a master’s degree in student personnel administration. She applied for a job at a Midwest university that will pay about $45,000 per year. With benefits and so on, it will probably cost the taxpayers in that state $60,000. If she remains in the position for three years, those making the selection are

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal explained the phenomenon of “Bring Your Parents to Work Day,” in which employees’ parents spend the day wandering around the office watching their offspring and colleagues write memos, answer e-mails and the other tasks required of their jobs. The enthusiasm for this, of course, is not shared by everyone. “It’s almost like

It happens all the time. A new hire arrives for the first day of work. The supervisor rattles off a list of responsibilities and resources. The newbie nods over and over. The supervisor says, “You got that?” The newbie answers, “Yup.” And the supervisor says, “Good. Let’s get to work.” Then the newbie bombards the supervisor with endless questions for

One of the more recent fads in HR circles has been the so-called stay interview. In other words, meeting with top performers to discuss their concerns and aspirations in an effort to keep them on the job. As the economy gains momentum and the skills gap continues to grow, employee churn is becoming a significant cost. But I have to

“How do you interview for a skill set you don’t have yourself?” I was asked this question the other day by the owner of a machine shop with 50 employees. While this is a common dilemma for small business owners, most every manager faces it at one time or another. Over the past 25 years, I’ve seen a variety of

I don’t care what you know. I care about how you think. That’s been my guiding philosophy for hiring over the past 20 years. It didn’t come at first. But time has a way of showing how to adjust your methods. It’s easy to be impressed by the resume, the experience, the rapport or the way someone answers questions. But

I shared this advice with the leaders of a Wall Street investment bank who complained that all their young analysts have been jumping ship within 18 months. I asked who they hire. “Only the best from Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford.” I asked why. “Because we only want the best working here.” “Where did you all graduate from?” “Harvard, Yale, Princeton

Ever feel like you’re wasting time interviewing job applicants? They prepare answers for the questions they assume you’re going to ask. You end up asking those questions and getting their prepared answers. There are only so many variations on what you need to know. Even if you get creative with how you ask, most can still adapt and tell you

Don’t hire top performers! Sounds like the reverse of what you should be doing. But it’s not. Twenty years ago, the recruiting leader for a large retailer told me he never hired the top people from a college class. When I asked him why, he said, “They get restless immediately. They spend more time dreaming than doing, and they’re a

I had been standing in the pharmacy line for about ten minutes and was next to be served. Just as I stepped up, a middle-aged woman slipped in front of me and said to the pharmacy tech, “I just need to drop this off,” handing him a prescription. “This gentleman is next in line,” said the tech. “I know,” said